


Master Key

by IDMIDray



Series: Nuts and Volts week 2020 [3]
Category: RWBY
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-15
Updated: 2020-02-15
Packaged: 2021-02-27 18:41:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,187
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22730395
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IDMIDray/pseuds/IDMIDray
Summary: When it's Arthur's turn to plan date night, does he stick to the same old, same old, or step out of his comfort soon to really wow Tyrian?
Relationships: Tyrian Callows/Arthur Watts
Series: Nuts and Volts week 2020 [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1622188
Comments: 4
Kudos: 17
Collections: Nuts and Volts Week 2020





	Master Key

**Author's Note:**

> Ya'll work is killing me this week and as a result, Nuts and Volts week suffered for it.  
> This is days 3-6. First date, domestic, fluff and first times.  
> Nuts and Volts week on Valentine's day!  
> Slight AU - scrolls are still a thing but there's no dust, weapons, Faunus. Just humans.   
> Hope you enjoy, comments and kudos are much appreciated.

“Will you move in with me?” Arthur asked aloud to his reflection. He rested his hands against the counter and sighed as he leaned his head on the mirror, he was no good at this. Even when they first started dating, it had been Tyrian who initiated, who had made the first move. Tyrian who had beautifully asked him out, who had planned the entirety of their first date, and who had subsequently planned for every date since. Arthur felt like Tyrian was the only one who was trying to make an effort in this relationship which was why he wanted so badly to be the first to take the next step. He glanced at his face and inhaled before trying again, “Tyrian, I hope you know how much you mean to me. “Arthur shuffled around in his pockets for his spare apartment key. He stared at the golden little key that he was going to give to Tyrian who hopefully would accept. “I would love for you to move in with me.” He tried sighing, it just didn’t sound right, nothing sounded right. It all sounded so lame compared to when Tyrian had asked him out, that had been perfect. Arthur ran a hand through his hair, they were having their weekly date night as both their careers kept them busy throughout the week and Tyrian had made reservations at this fancy restaurant upon Arthur’s suggestion. Tyrian had been suspicious as this restaurant was five stars so of course it was expensive which, unfortunately, was a bit out of both their price ranges but for today, it would be worth it.

His scroll rang and Arthur jumped, dropping the key in the process as he frantically searched for his scroll. He shouted out a curse as he pulled his scroll out of his other pocket and started searching for the key at the same time. “This is Watts.”

“Doctor, I know it’s you.” Tyrian breathed out.

Arthur had to glance at the scroll, he hadn’t noticed that it was Tyrian who had called. “Tyrian, what’s the matter?”

“Nothing’s the matter. Do I need to have a reason to call you?” Tyrian answered as Arthur finally located the key which had somehow found itself between the counter and toilet.

Arthur stared at the key, feeling the excitement and nervousness now that he was talking to Tyrian, “I suppose not.” Arthur admitted. “But you normally text when you want to talk about nothing. What’s the matter?”

He could hear a sigh from the other end, “So I couldn’t get a reservation, we were placed on a waiting list. Bunch of elitists could probably tell we have no money.” Tyrian complained.

Arthur rolled his eyes, “Tyrian, I did tell you to make the reservation last week. Not the day of our date. It defeats the purpose of a reservation and this restaurant tends to fill up fast. No matter, I actually called ahead of time knowing you would put it off until the last minute.”

"Why didn’t you tell me that sooner?” Tyrian whined over the phone.

“Because I know how much you like being the one to talk to people and make plans. But I wanted to take charge for once.”

Tyrian breathed into the phone, “I do love a man who takes control every once and awhile.”

Arthur closed his eyes and tried his hardest to ignore the suggestive undertones. Lately Tyrian had been dropping suggestive comments every chance he could get and while he enjoyed Tyrian’s company and had developing feelings for the man, he wasn’t sure he was ready for sex. But he supposed wanting Tyrian to move in was a good hurdle to get over. “I’ll swing by your apartment in about an hour.”

“I’m not at my apartment, but I’ll meet you there?” Tyrian asked, Arthur could hear a lot of rustling on his end.

Arthur was curious, Tyrian usually told him when he had plans but it was possible that he had a few work-related errands pop up unexpectedly. “The reservation is at 6:30. So take your time.”

“Perfect. I’ll see you there.” Tyrian hung up without waiting for a reply.

Arthur sighed and stared at his scroll in disbelief, it was unlike Tyrian to hang up first and to be so distracted, usually he wanted to talk for hours. Not that Arthur minded, but he did find it strange, trying to not let that bother him he went about getting ready for this important date. He once again glanced at his reflection, to his dismay he had somehow made a mess of his hair in his panic, his tie was also loose and crooked, and his dress shirt was wrinkled. He could not be seen in public with a wrinkled shirt. He dug out his ironing board and iron and took off his shirt, undid his tie and ironed until it was wrinkle free. He sighed in relief. Leaving his shirt on the board and his tie neatly laying on top of his shirt he debated if his hair could be saved or if he should just take a shower and restyle it afterwards.

Glancing at the time on his scroll he grimaced, he simply did not have enough time to shower and restyle his hair, so he pulled out his for emergencies only hair gel and set to work on styling his uncooperative hair. After he got that under as much control as he could, he gently put his shirt back on and methodically did his tie. Glancing at his reflection from all possible angles he decided that he was good to go. He made sure he had his wallet, car key and his apartment key plus the spare that was soon to be Tyrian’s and headed out the door after making sure everything was off and unplugged.

It was warm enough that he didn’t need a coat to go along with his dress jacket, so he shoved everything in his pant pockets as his jacket had fashionable pockets but no real ones. Unlocking his car and getting in he started up the car and drove in the direction of the restaurant. He didn’t see Tyrian’s car but that was unsurprising, Tyrian often chose to walk places, he had told Arthur once that he only had gotten the car out of necessity in case, he needed to go long distance. Finding a place to park proved to be difficult and by the time he did he was exactly five minutes late to the reservation time. He hurried into the building and spotted Tyrian sitting cross legged on the bench, Tyrian who hadn’t noticed him yet, jumped when Arthur sat down next to him.

Tyrian smiled at him and put away his scroll, Arthur just barely catching images of a game as the scroll was put away. “Doctor.” Tyrian purred, “You’re late.”

Arthur scoffed, “The parking is atrocious.”

A timid looking girl approached, “Table for a Mr. Watts and Mr. Callows.”

Tyrian stood up and stretched, “Shall we?” he held out his hand for Arthur to take, who rolled his eyes as Tyrian led him to their table.

“My name is Julia and I’ll be your waitress for the evening. May I take your order for beverages?”

Tyrian was about to speak up to order their usual, when Arthur raised his hand, “We’ll have a bottle of your finest wine, one glass of coca cola and one root beer.”

Tyrian was staring at him with a slight smile as the waitress nodded and left. “You really meant it when you told me you wanted to take the lead on this date. My apologies for insisting on calling to make the reservation.”

Arthur smiled back as he reached across the table to take Tyrian’s hand, “No worries, I should have realized how much you enjoyed planning our dates. But this one is a special one.”

Tyrian’s eyebrow rose at that, “Special? Special how?”

Arthur winked and started perusing the menu with his free hand, the waitress returning with their drinks. Tyrian pouncing on the root beer the second the waitress walked away. “I think the steak looks good, what about you?”

Tyrian sucked on the straw and shrugged, “Steak sounds delicious.”

Arthur hummed as he started to mentally walk through the events to follow, after they ate their steaks, the waitress, Julia, would come by to enquire about dessert. Arthur would order their favorite out of the desserts menu and while they were eating dessert, that was when Arthur was going to ask. The waitress appeared several minutes after making her rounds, “Did you decide on what you would like?”

Arthur nodded, “We will have the steaks, please.” He added, trying hard to sound courteous and confident while his nerves were currently twisting themselves into knots.

The waitress made notes on the pad of paper all food servers seemed to carry, “How would you like those done?”

Tyrian spoke up, unable to allow to stay quiet and enjoy the fake confidence, “Rare for me.”

Arthur grabbed their menus and handed them over to Julia, “Medium well, thank you.”

“Would you like soup or salad?”

“What are our options for soup?” Arthur asked.

“Today we have a French onion soup or lemon pepper chicken.” The waitress stated deadpan, probably sick of repeating the soup choices to every customer.

“I’ll have the French onion.” Arthur responded, Tyrian leaned forward and looked at Arthur. “He’ll have the lemon pepper chicken.”

The waitress nodded and left after saying it will be out in a few minutes.

Tyrian hummed in content, “wine, steak, my favorite soup, what’s the occasion Arthur?”

Arthur glanced at Tyrian, he seemed so excited that it made Arthur’s stomach flip over, it technically wasn’t even close to a year since they started dating so technically there was no occasion other than Arthur’s attempt to sure his boyfriend he was also serious about this relationship. Arthur wanted to show the man how much he cared about him and how much he treasured this relationship. They may still be getting to know one another but it was time to reach that next step and he was excited to be able to wake up next to Tyrian. He couldn’t exactly tell him that though. “Am I not allowed to spoil you? I’ve been saving up part of my paychecks for weeks in order to take you here.”

Tyrian tilted his head to the side, “You didn’t need to, I’m happy to go to that bistro across from your apartment and then go home and cuddle while we watch a movie.”

Arthur laughed and smiled gently, “I enjoy those date nights,” They had been going to the bistro for the last five date nights, Tyrian had fallen in love with the quaint homely atmosphere. “But I’ve been waiting to take you here, so please, enjoy everything.” He poured the wine into the two glasses, he wouldn’t drink too much, just a glass for dinner and maybe half for dessert.

Julia returned with the soup and extra napkins, “The main course will be just a few more minutes.”

As they ate their soup and chatted about their day while they waited for their steaks, Arthur started to get a little twitchy. It wasn’t just nerves, but eagerness to ask the man so they could start the next chapter of their lives together. He was about to ask him early, but the steaks arrived just as they both finished their soups. The steak was superb, done just right, the vegetables were a little under seasoned but that could be fixed with salt and pepper or even steak sauce.

Tyrian laughed at him, “Are you still dumping too much salt and pepper on food items that don’t need the condiments?”

Arthur lightheartedly glared at him, “Just because you don’t care what you part in your mouth doesn’t mean I don’t.”

Tyrian grinned at the unintentional innuendo and Arthur blushed in response. “Why doctor, I didn’t know you cared that much about what I put in my mouth.” He cackled and went back to cutting his steak into smaller pieces.

Arthur blushed lightly, sighed and continued eating with Tyrian somehow getting Arthur to participate in the would you rather game, something that was quickly turning into a game Arthur belatedly realize they should have been playing at home from the start.

Julia coming back to take their plates and enquire about desserts just as Tyrian finished asking if Arthur would rather have a penis for a head or a head for a penis. Tyrian started laughing uncontrollably as both Julia and Arthur blushed scarlet. “W-we’ll have two slices of cheesecake please.” Arthur mumbled as his hands went to block his view of the waitress.

“R-right.” Julia said as she scampered off.

“Tyrian… we’ll have to continue this discussion at home.” Arthur mumbled as he attempted to get the nerve to ask him to move in.

Tyrian smirked, “Definitely Doctor.” He purred.

Arthur smiled politely as Julia placed the cheesecake down in front of them. She walked off without another word, leaving the bill on the table. He probably wouldn’t be able to come back any time soon he thought.

Tyrian grabbed his fork to dig in when Arthur reached forward to grab his wrist. Tyrian startled and looked at Arthur. “Wait. Tyrian. I- “he hesitated, and the blush returned.

Tyrian put the fork down and stared at him, “Go on and take your time Arthur.” He prompted.

To say he was nervous was an understatement, he’d never thought this relationship would go this far. He especially didn’t think he would be in a relationship at all, let alone with someone so spontaneous and extroverted but he found he enjoyed getting to know this man. The way he would laugh at the silliest things, how his favorite movies were unexpectedly romantic comedies, how he was growing out his hair to eventually donate it but that he was also growing it to see how long it could get before his hair developed split ends. Arthur smiled at all the things he had grown to love about the man before him, his thumb started rubbing circles lightly onto Tyrian’s wrist, he had belatedly realized that Tyrian had done his hair differently, it wasn’t in it’s usual braids but instead it was in an intricate pattern with his hair in multiple smaller braids woven through each other to create something beautiful. Arthur met Tyrian’s golden eyes and felt his heart burst with happiness, he was ready for this, he could do it, confidence be damned.

Arthur took a deep breath and blurted out, “You know how much you mean to me. I enjoy timing spend with you. You are my light and I don’t think I could ever live without you.” His right leg was bouncing up and down and his heart was pounding in his ears with nerves, so he stood up, bumping the table as he did so. Wine from their glasses landed on the table with the same force Arthur had had while bumping the table. Tyrian jumped, as if woken from a trance and dropped his napkin on the spilled wine quickly before turning his attention back to Arthur. Arthur who had started reaching into his pocket and not feeling it there he bent down to find where it could’ve fallen from this time. As he was kneeling there, he found the key under his chair’s leg. He reached for the key but with his current position he couldn’t do much so he got on one knee so he could reach a little bit further. He could hear a gasp coming from who he could only assume was Tyrian. Continuing his speech as he grabbed the key, “There’s no one I would rather be with, Tyrian.” He took a deep breath and saw Tyrian staring at him wide eyed but looking incredibly happy about the situation, which was a good sign right? “Tyrian, would you- “

Tyrian got up and flung himself at Arthur, narrowly missing the table, “Of course! A million times yes!” Tyrian shouted so everyone in the restaurant currently could hear him. 

Arthur’s face started to heat up again.

Arthur grinned and stood up, hand tightening his hold on the spare key, “I’m so glad you are so eager, Tyrian.”

Tyrian reached into his back pocket and pulled out a small box. “Let’s exchange at the same time?”

Arthur looking and feeling confused, “Wait, what?”

Tyrian rolled his eyes, “That’s where I was today, I was picking this up.” He said as he opened the box revealing a silver ring that was adorned with purple markings and gold woven through each purple marking, connecting each one in such a beautifully intricate and delicate way. “I know it’s only been a year, but I’ve never felt this way about someone else before. I feel safe and happy with you, after the end of a long day of work, I feel content to listen to you on the scroll and each of your messages just makes me so excited and happy that I just wanted this feeling to last forever.” Tyrian caught Arthur’s wide-eyed look and smiled, looking up to meet Arthur’s gaze. “I was really surprised when you wanted to plan a date at a restaurant to this caliber but the more I thought about it, the more I thought it would be the perfect place to propose and I’m really glad that you thought the same way.”

Arthur’s mouth opened and closed several times. He didn’t quite know how to react; he hadn’t planned for this to happen. But he should have known, Tyrian was a spontaneous person by nature and of course he would have come to this conclusion. Arthur blushed, he couldn’t very well give Tyrian a key without a ring now and so he quickly pocketed the key and clasped his hands together so he could feel each of his rings individually debating with himself which one would be suitable enough to pass as an engagement ring. Tyrian was smiling happily at him, bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet waiting patiently for Arthur. Arthur becoming increasingly aware of the fact that both men were currently standing in the middle of a fine dining establishment. His blush deepened as he settled on parting with the family ring, Tyrian had been obsessed with that ring anyways so it would do, he could make Tyrian a suitable engagement ring later. He pulled the ring off his ring finger and gently taking Tyrian’s hand he placed the ring delicately on his palm. Tyrian glanced at the ring and grinned, “Your family ring? Why doctor this is beautiful. You have no idea how much this means to me that you would part with this ring, I know how important it is to you.”

Arthur smiled warmly at Tyrian and took the box out of Tyrian’s other hand; he lightly plucked the ring from it’s resting place and spun it around in his hands. It was a cool design, he thought as he replaced the empty spot on his finger with this new one. “Shall we pay and get out of here?”

Tyrian nodded, “I’d love to doctor.”

Arthur grabbed the bill and walked to the register. He paid extra since their intimate conversation had caused their waitress discomfort. Having done that he grabbed Tyrian’s hand which he noted with a thrill, that Tyrian’s ring finger was wearing his ring. He was glad that it fit alright, they didn’t say much until they got to his car. He opened the passenger side door for Tyrian who jumped up and gave Arthur a kiss on the cheek. Arthur rolled his eyes and closed the door after making sure Tyrian was fully in. He walked over to the driver’s side and paused, how was he supposed to ask him to move in now that it’s gone pleasantly unexpectedly. 

Closing the door, he caught Tyrian admiring the ring with the sweetest smile on his face. Arthur made the decision to tell him now, “You know, if you find that pretty, I have one more surprise for you.”

Tyrian looked up in surprise. “Another surprise for me? How unexpectedly me of you.” He teased but he still gave Arthur is full attention.

Arthur sighed and having grabbed the key before sitting down, he grabbed Tyrian’s hand and placed the key into his palm. Tyrian looked deep in thought, so Arthur spoke up. 

“That’s your key. For when you want to move into my place, as your fiancé, I hope that will be soon because I can’t wait to wake up next to you in the mornings.” He said honestly.

Tyrian’s mouth was open as he looked back and forth between the key and Arthur’s face. “T-thank you, Arthur.” He stuttered out.

Arthur grinned. “You never call me Arthur.”

Tyrian giggled, “You better get used to it, once we’re married, I have full rights to call you whatever I want.”

Arthur leaned forward and captured Tyrian’s lips with his own, “I love you.” He mumbled into Tyrian’s ears before he could stop himself.

Tyrian glanced at him in surprise, “I love you too.” He pulled Arthur into another kiss. “I think I have for a long time.” He said in between breaths, “I know love is just a feeling, but I never want this feeling to go away.” He wound his arms through Arthur’s arm and squeezed lightly. 

Arthur laughed, he took his free hand and ran a hand through Tyrian’s hair, feeling the knots and braids as he did so. “Let’s get home, it’s still early enough to watch a movie.”

Tyrian sighed contentedly and settled for staring at his two treasures, an old ring that’s been passed down through the Watts family for 80 years or so and a spare key.  
Arthur drove and tried not to get distracted by how the light reflected off his new ring. He certainly hadn’t set out today to get engaged, he wasn’t quite sure that they were ready for this step, but he was excited to see where it took them. They didn’t have to get married right away; they could still follow through the necessary steps. Move in with each other, get accustomed to the domestic life, work up to having sex, then marriage. Arthur mentally sighed in relief, he wasn’t spontaneous like this so he could relax if they stuck to this plan.

“What are you thinking about Arthur?” Tyrian’s voice sounded to his right.

“I was thinking that today went better than expected, if not a little bit more spontaneous than I’m used to.” Arthur responded as he turned left onto his street.

“How so?” Tyrian questioned as he cracked open the window.

“Well, I certainly wasn’t expecting you to propose to me tonight.”

Tyrian cackled, “I wanted to, high jacking your date plans was too hard to resist.”

Arthur rolled his eyes as he parked the car in the street. His apartment had a parking lot, but it was a hit or miss if there was room to park, so it was often easier to park in the street. “You’re a menace.” He told Tyrian as he got out, “Make sure to roll that window up.”

Tyrian saluted, “Yessir.” He mumbled as he did what he was told.

Arthur waited for Tyrian to join him before heading up to his apartment, he allowed Tyrian to test his key out on the place, smiling at how Tyrian giggled and bounced in excitement. “We’re home.” He said, turning back to look at Arthur.

Arthur smiled and followed Tyrian into their home, closing the door behind him. Tyrian jumped onto the couch and started flipping through the many streaming sites out there in order to find a movie. Tyrian gasped in surprise and stopped pressing buttons on the remote. “What is it Tyrian?”

Tyrian blinked at him and cackled, “I didn’t realize the date.”

“The date?” He questioned in response moving to join Tyrian on the couch.

Tyrian nodded, “It’s Valentine’s day.”

Arthur glanced at the tv and saw the date and collapsed next to Tyrian. “We… proposed on Valentine’s day.”

Tyrian giggled and crawled onto Arthur’s lap. “I thought I was the only romantic. Turns out your date night outdid anything I could ever come up with.”

Arthur rolled his eyes, “I didn’t plan it on this day on purpose.”

“I know that.” Tyrian giggled, “I’m teasing you. But still, it’s one Hell of a coincidence.” He snuggled into his side and resumed his search for a movie as Arthur sat there stunned.

“Oh! This is one I’ve been dying to see!” He shouted in excitement as he started the movie. Arthur watched him throughout the entire movie bemusedly, Tyrian was enraptured in the movie and Arthur loved watching every facial expression come through.

If he ever planned date night again, how was he supposed to top this day? He thought as Tyrian started rooting for the lead couple to kiss.

**Author's Note:**

> First date as in Arthur's first time picking the date (loopholes for the win)  
> Domestic as in mentions of domestic,  
> Fluff because I'm better at fluff and comedy than angst.  
> First times because it's a first for a lot of things.  
> Because it's Valentine's Day today when I'm posting this, I decided to add that little bit at the end.  
> Again, comments are much appreciated.


End file.
